Modest João Almeida into the World Championships road race: "It will be quite impossible to follow the strongest when they attack"

João Almeida is a man for the Grand Tours but on this day, he will be leading the Portuguese national team at the World Championships, coming in as the brightest climbing prospect within the team. However, he is modest when it comes to his ambitions, in relation to the races that are more controlled.

“After withdrawing from the Vuelta I only had to stop for a week. I recovered and immediately got back on the bike. The training period went well and I’m very happy to be at the start of this World Championship," he told CyclingPro.net this morning at the start. "I want to try to stay at the front, the route is very tough and it’s like a Classic. The idea is to do my best, and also try to do something good. For me, however, it’s something new, since I don’t do the Classics very often.”

A rider that often struggles with positioning and explosive racing, it is not an ideal race for the UAE Team Emirates rider. But the race does feature over 4000 meters of climbing and this will also mean that into the decisive moments of the race the peloton will not be as numerous as in the regular classics. With Rui Costa lacking his best form, Almeida is the natural choice to lead the country's ambitions for the worlds. He was a modest 24th in the time-trial and his form is also relatively unknown at the time - with him also aiming for Il Lombardia in the next few weeks.

“I think it will be quite impossible to follow the strongest when they attack. So I will have to try to anticipate my eventual action," he says. "But, of course, everything will depend on my legs. If I have them, I will do it, but it won’t be that easy.”